We had the chance to catch up with Anthony Campi Racing driver, Carson Brown who is fresh off of his impressive win from New Smyrna:
Taylor Kitchen: You held off a really hard charging Kyle Steckley on that final restart. What were the emotions during that final restart because up until then, you had pretty much dominated that race.
Carson Brown: Yeah, it was definitely challenging. I led like 90 laps before that, so I was like, ‘man this caution kind of hurt us’. But we opened up almost a straightaway lead before that caution. Our tires were really hot at the end of that green flag run because it was pretty long run. But yeah, Kyle Steckley was really good and I was just happy that we were able to fight him off for the win.
Taylor Kitchen: Not just as a competitor, but as an athlete, how do you keep those emotions in check and how do you go into these high pressure situations? What is your preparation like for that?
Carson Brown: It’s really hard. Anthony Campi and Michael Fisher, my spotter, helped me through a lot of it and worked me through everything under caution. They’re talking me through like the restart, what we’re gonna choose, and just everything that was about to happen. So big thanks for to them.
Taylor Kitchen: And speaking of Anthony Campi, your spotter, I believe this is your third start with that team? Talk me through like what it’s been like to race for them and just kind of the leadership behind that team.
Carson Brown: It’s awesome. Anthony Campi runs a really good team and Mario [Campi], his dad, they run it out of their garage. But they have a really good program going so can’t thank them enough for the opportunity to be able to run with them.
Taylor Kitchen: I know we kind of just jumped right into it with your current race win, which is awesome. But, take us back, what got you interested in racing. I think it started maybe like stock car racing, at least your journey there was like with an injury. Is there a story there?
Carson Brown: Yeah, so I actually started racing and dirt bikes. We had a farm and everything and I love racing dirt bikes. I loved jumping, forest riding is what I really love. So I raced hare scrambles and it was really dangerous. So we figured that wasn’t a very good option long term and we needed to figure something out. I was still gonna ride dirt bikes and enjoy them on the farm and everything, but I got super deep into stock car racing and everything because we figured out dirt bikes wasn’t a safe option moving forward. So, we moved into cars. We had a buddy that talked to us and we were like, ‘yeah, let’s go for a test’, and they brought their car out and I was able to test it. So that was really cool for me to experience and everything. So yeah, I got into stock car racing from dirt bikes and we figured out that dirt bikes probably shouldn’t be a hobby thing either because we got so deep into stock car racing and dirt, super late models and everything.
Taylor Kitchen: Even just taking it back further, you mentioned you grew up on a farm. What was your upbringing like there?
Carson Brown: We actually sold the farm about a year ago to buy this place down here in North Carolina on the lake. We had to let that go and that was kind of sad, but it’s awesome being on the lake. And now I’m based in North Carolina, kind of just in the central hub of racing.
Taylor Kitchen: How does that help your focus as a driver, just kind of being around that racing scene and you know, what have you learned since being now in North Carolina?
Carson Brown: It’s awesome. Being in North Carolina, we’re pretty much an hour from anywhere we want to go. So all my teams, I can work in the shop with them, I can go talk to them, and it really helps me prepare for the races, being able to bond with all the crew members, especially like being on a new team, for example. It’s really good to talk to the team, get to know the team, and I feel like that helps performance on the track. And working in the garage too.
Taylor Kitchen: I feel like it’s such a valuable experience for even just young racers like yourself to be able to learn like the mechanics of the car and everything like that. I know there’s a lot of young drivers that are just kinda like, ‘oh, I’ll let my crew do it and I’ll just I’ll sit back and relax’. But you seem to be very hands-on with your team with the car. So just talk about how important that experience is and even to like what’s something that you’ve learned about being in the shop that you maybe didn’t know before that.
Carson Brown: I love working on the cars and being involved in all that stuff. I feel like it really helps performance on the track, like I said, but like Anthony Campi, for example, he’s down in Florida, so it’s really hard for me to go down there unless I go down before a race, for example. So I’ll go down Tuesday next week, and then we’re gonna be racing Friday. So I’ll go down, talk to it with all the crew members, bond with them in the shop and being able to be a little hands-on. Anthony Campi runs a really good team and everything and they’re super organized, so I don’t want to overstep that boundary too because they have all their jobs. They do what they need to do. So, I don’t want to step in there too much and mess that up. It’s really good to go down there with the team.
Taylor Kitchen: And talk about Team Hornaday Development. What’s it like working with Ron Hornaday, learning from him and the rest of the drivers there?
Carson Brown: Ron Hornaday is a super good coach and he helps me a lot on restarts lines and just everything involved at the track and even off the track too. He’s a really good mentor to have.
Taylor Kitchen: Does he go to the track with you?
Carson Brown: Yeah, so he goes to the track a good amount. More of the legend racing with Joe Ryan Race Cars and Candice Hornaday and all them, that whole group. But yeah, it’s rare you see him at some of these other tracks, but when you do, it’s pretty cool.
Taylor Kitchen: And you’ve mentioned the Legend Cars. You know, we have your Pro Late Models. You’re racing in so many different series, I mean, this year alone too. How, as just a competitor athlete or like, are you keeping that all straight in? How difficult is it to go from one discipline to another week in, week out?
Carson Brown: I try and keep it straight. It’s really hard to be disciplined in all these cars. So it will take you a few sessions and a few rounds on the track to get used to the new car type and everything. But once I get it down, it’s really cool to be able to drive all these different cars with all these different teams.
Taylor Kitchen: What type of car or what series do you feel like challenges you most or have you learned the most from?
Carson Brown: Dirt super late models challenged me the most, and dirt micro sprint cars at Millbridge definitely challenged me the most because a lot of these guys are twenties, thirties, forties, even fifties and on. Dirt racing is big in just having experience. The only way to get better on dirt is seat time and do it because the track changes so much. The cars are much different. How they move, how they. Change the track types. You just have to adapt and all these older guys are much better at adapting to these tracks than me example, um, that just don’t have that much experience. So I feel like that challenges me the most and it’s really good having Mike Marler to help me out and work me through some of that.
Taylor Kitchen: What type of racing do you prefer? Do you prefer the dirt more asphalt, more?
Carson Brown: I love dirt. I love asphalt too, especially with Anthony Campi. They have a really good group going on there and dirt’s really fun to me. I think I enjoy that a little bit more. Nothing against that team and asphalt, but dirt’s just really cool how you can just, how you drive the cars, you’re always up on the wheel track’s always changing and I just find that really cool.
Taylor Kitchen: I’m curious too, just talking about NASCAR, like the Cup Series in general. I know like we, we went to Bristol Dirt the past few years. I don’t know if it’s gonna be on the schedule next year or not, but I don’t know if you’ve watched those races in your thoughts there. Did you feel like it was kind of bizarre that we had the Cup series racing on dirt at Bristol at all?
Carson Brown: It was really cool. I actually went to the first Bristol Dirt Race in person and that was actually really cool to experience. It was definitely different. I was very surprised to see that, like I’ve heard of the trucks racing Eldora [Speedway] or something like that. But it was really interesting seeing the Cup Series on dirt. But yeah, that was really cool.
Taylor Kitchen: Have you ever raced at Eldora?
Carson Brown: Never. We want to, it’s on the schedule. But yeah, I really wanna race there. It’s a really cool track and definitely a dream for most dirt racers.
Taylor Kitchen: And is that the number one track, let’s say like of any track that you’ve never raced at before? Is that number one on your list or is there another one, whether it’s in the United States or across the country or I guess across the globe that you would wanna race at that you haven’t yet?
Carson Brown: Yeah, Fairbury [Speedway] is really cool. I actually got to race at Fairbury and we started like 20 something and finished fifth when we went to Fairbury. So that was a really cool experience with Mike and the team. But outdoors is definitely way up there.
Taylor Kitchen: Talking about your schedule, all the series that you’re in, you know, when you’re outside of the car, how do you unwind? How do you kind of just take yourself out of the racing scene for a little bit just to have some new time? What are your hobbies? What do you do outside the car?
Carson Brown: So I love wake surfing on the lake. That’s really fun to me, hanging out with the family and really enjoying that. And we have a lot of dogs too, so that’s fun to enjoy off track and just at home. Currently our wake boat’s in service, so that’s unusable at the moment… boat issues. We love riding side-by-sides in the mountains. I really enjoy that. Me and my dad have two side-by-sides and we go up to the mountains and enjoy that.
Taylor Kitchen: Do You hike a lot too? I would assume?
Carson Brown: Yes. We’re actually going to Alaska at the end of this year and we’re gonna go on a billy goat hunt. So that’s gonna be really cool. And that’s gonna involve a lot of hiking. Probably a lot more than I’m in for. That’s gonna be really cool and then I guess hunting is a hobby too.
Taylor Kitchen: What do you specifically hunt? You said Billy goats, but are you like seasonal deer hunter, everything like that?
Carson Brown: Yeah, so we used to be seasonal deer hunters at our farm and everything. Um, we’d hunt deer there and stuff, but now we don’t have that, so it’s really hard for us to really hunt year round. We go on trips just for fun to Texas or other places to enjoy it.
Taylor Kitchen: Before we go, what else do you have coming up on your schedule?
Carson Brown: I’m gonna be racing Millbridge tomorrow night, that’s on DIRTVision and I’m gonna be racing Pensacola next weekend. I think that’s the 24th or something. Hopefully we can put some dirt super late model stuff on the schedule soon.
Full Interview:
